Mrs. Chichester began to cry again. "Perhaps it was my fault I didn't see him oftener," she said.
Alaric, unable to curb his curiosity, burst out with: "How did the old boy split it up?"
"To his immediate relations he left" Mr. Hawkes looked up from the will and found three pairs of eyes fixed on him. He stopped. It may be that constant association with the law courts destroys faith in human nature—but whatever the cause, it seemed to Mr. Hawkes in each of those eyes was reflected the one dominant feeling—GREED. The expression in the family's combined eyes was astonishing in its directness, its barefacedness. It struck the dignified gentleman suddenly dumb.
"Well? Well?" Cried Alaric. "How much? Don't stop right in the middle of an important thing like that. You make me as nervous as a chicken."
Mr. Hawkes returned to the will and after looking at it a moment without reading said:
"To his immediate relations Mr. Kingsnorth left, I regret to say—NOTHING."
A momentary silence fell like a pall over the stricken Chichester family.
Mrs. Chichester rose, indignation flashing from the eyes that a moment since showed a healthy hope.
"Nothing?" she cried incredulously.
"Not a penny-piece to anyone?" ventured Alaric.